Three Montgomery Theater Companies Win Top Honors

Three Montgomery County theater companies won top honors at the Washington Area Theatre Community Honors eighth annual awards ceremony Sunday night at the Birchmere Musical Hall in Alexandria.

Kensington Arts Theatre was recognized for best musical for its production of "Nevermore," an examination of the life and tortured psyche of writer Edgar Allen Poe. Kensington shared the top prize with the Arlington Players for their production of "Thoroughly Modern Millie."

Silver Spring Stage won outstanding play for "Never the Sinner," a study of the 1924 murder trial of Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb.

The group's production of "Never the Sinner" received two other awards: outstanding direction of a play, Michael Kharfen; and outstanding special effects, Clare Flood. Jaclyn Young was named outstanding lead actress in a play for her portrayal of Agnes in the psychological thriller "Agnes of God."

Another musical, Stephen Sonheim's "Into the Woods," a darker-than-usual take on some familiar fairy tales, was a big winner for Rockville Musical Theatre. The show took four awards: outstanding cameo in a musical, Michael Reid as the Wolf; outstanding featured actress in a musical, Hannah Willman as Cinderella; outstanding lead actor in a musical, Harv Lester as the Baker; and outstanding music direction, Scott Richards.

Twenty-nine Washington area theater companies participated in the WATCH program; 79 plays and 30 musicals were judged in 28 categories.